Negative
by macisgate
Summary: She leaned back against her bathroom sink and stared at the small white stick in her hands. Rating is K to mild T.


Disclaimer: I have some unusual things, but I don't own "The Unusuals".

Summary: She leaned back against her bathroom sink and stared at the small white stick in her hands.

A/N: Hey Everybody! I've been thinking about this show lately and got inspired for this story. Probably not something you'd see in the show, but I'm such a sucker for hurt/comfort stories, and I just love this pairing be it friendship or more. Thanks for reading!

Christine

000

The timer went off, and Casey forced herself to open her tightly closed eyes, digging her toes into the fuzzy bath mat under her feet. She leaned back against her bathroom sink and stared at the small white stick in her hands. She stared at it for a long time, then managed to breathe as she struggled to come to terms with what she saw in front of her.

Negative.

000

Jason Walsh glanced toward the door again. "I'm sure she'll be here any minute, sir."

Sergeant Brown raised his eyebrows. "That's what you said five minutes ago. I have to get to a meeting across town. I'll talk to the two of you later. It wasn't that important anyway." He grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and pulled it on. "If Shraeger's much longer, you better call her at home. Make sure she's okay."

Walsh followed his boss out of the office and sat down at his desk, ignoring the curious looks from his fellow detectives. He stared at the empty seat in front of him and reached for his phone just as Casey rushed into the room and sat down across from him.

"Hey, sorry I missed the meeting. Traffic."

Walsh dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand. "You're never late. Don't worry about it."

Casey gave him a funny look like he'd said something inappropriate, then looked away flustered.

"Really, Shraeger. It's not a big deal. Sergeant just said for us to catch up on paperwork until we get a case. He'll meet with us later about the policy changes."

Jason leaned forward in his seat and lowered his voice to a whisper. "So, really, why were you late?" Ninety percent of the time when people said traffic, they meant something else. Something they didn't want to share.

She glared at him in anger or annoyance. Maybe both. "Traffic. Really."

He continued to study her while they both worked. Her hands were shaky and at one point, he swore he saw her eyes water, but they quickly cleared. Twenty minutes later, the phone rang.

"We got a case," Walsh informed her when he hung up, but she was already pulling on her coat.

000

They pulled up to the crime scene after a very silent drive. Jason parked the car and looked over at his partner. She started to get out, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Casey? Hold up a second." He waited until she turned to face him. "Are you feeling okay? If you need to sit this one out..."

Casey shook her head. "I'm fine." She reached for the door handle, but Jason tapped the lock command before she could pull it. She turned to glare at him in disbelief.

"Seriously, Casey. It's not a big deal. I'll just call Alvarez or whoever's free."

"I said I'm fine, Walsh. If I say I'm fine, then I am." She unlocked her door, and this time he let her go. He watched her march quickly toward the crime scene before getting out of the car himself.

Walsh jogged up to where she was getting briefed by the local police.

"Victim: female, mid-twenties. No I.D. Looks like a robbery gone bad. No cell phone or wallet."

"Cause of death?" Walsh asked.

"Gunshot to the chest. Amount of blood suggests it took place here, but there were no witnesses. Defensive wounds suggest she fought back. Time of death was approximately 4am this morning."

"Clothing suggests a prostitute-" Walsh deduced.

"Why?" Casey challenged angrily.

"What?" Walsh looked confused.

"Just because she was pretty and wore a short skirt and leather boots... You know, people aren't always what they seem. They don't always have to fit into these narrow categories we put them into. She could have had a date or just liked dressing that way or maybe... I mean, why can't people be something other than what we expect them to be?"

Walsh and the other policeman stared at her in confusion until she stopped talking.

Casey pointed across the street. "There's a bank. I'm going to see if they have video surveillance that could help."

Walsh let her go. For now.

000

That night, Casey walked into the parking garage. She almost took a step back when she noticed Walsh leaning against the hood of her car.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went home a while ago." She dug in her purse for her keys.

He shrugged. "My car wouldn't start. Dead battery or something. Think you could give me a ride?"

"Really?" she quirked at eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, _really_... What do you mean?" he looked genuinely offended, so she didn't bother explaining that she suspected _car trouble_ was his way of getting her alone. Again. Like he'd been trying to all day.

She felt like saying no. She wanted nothing more than to head straight home, soak in a hot tub and drink wine straight from the bottle. But she'd been raised better than that. If he really was having car trouble... And she knew she couldn't avoid him forever.

"Um, sure, I guess," she managed.

Walsh smiled. "Great." He sank down in the passenger seat with a sigh. "Long day."

"Yeah," Casey agreed. "But at least we got our bad guy."

"Thanks to you. That security footage from the bank gave us enough for a sketch. Still hard to believe he turned himself in though."

Casey shrugged. "When you see your face flashed across every local news channel... And she wasn't a prostitute."

"Nope," Walsh conceded. "You were right. She walked away from a bad date, went to get money out for a cab at the ATM and..." But she knew that already.

Casey pulled out onto the street, towards Walsh's home/diner, and worked at coming up with more harmless chatter, but came up empty. So she stayed silent. Walsh didn't seem to mind.

When she pulled up in front of his door, he reached over and tapped her arm. "Come on in for a coffee."

She shook her head. "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just head home."

"Hey, come on. I insist. It'll give you the boost you need to get home."

He wasn't going to take no for an answer. She knew that. And she didn't have the energy to argue with him. The faster she drank his coffee, the faster she could get home. She could hold it together just a little while longer.

"Fine," she acquiesced and climbed out of the car after him.

He unlocked the door and ushered her inside double checking that the closed sign was facing out. She took a seat on one of the bar stools, while he went behind the counter. She clenched her hands in front of her and kept her eyes down.

"You look hungry. Let me make you a sandwich."

"No, I-" But it was already too late. He was pulling out bread, cheese, and deli meat, and searching for a jar of mayonnaise before she could form a complete sentence. She hadn't eaten since half a donut at lunch, and, even now, the thought of food made her stomach clench.

Jason slid the plate in front of her, and she picked it up for a small bite, then placed it back down. She took the mug of coffee and wrapped her hands around it to warm them up.

Walsh feigned insult and leaned against the counter. He picked up the half she hadn't touched and examined it for defects. He took a bite. "Mmmmm. It's really good, Casey. You at least have to finish that half before I let you leave."

She just shook her head, and her eyes filled up. Walsh poured his own cup of coffee and walked around the counter. He settled down beside her with a sigh.

"Speak your piece, Casey. You'll feel better, I promise." She quickly swiped at the tears on her face. He didn't really expect her to reply, but she surprised him.

"I thought I was pregnant, but I'm not," she managed through a closed throat.

Jason felt like she'd hit him with a ton of bricks. He swore softly before reaching over and squeezing her shoulder.

She put her coffee down and then turned to lean against his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He could feel her hot tears though his t-shirt.

"Everything's going to be okay. I promise. Everything's okay." He continued to mutter softly while she cried. Eventually she pulled away and grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser sitting on the counter.

Walsh brushed her hair out of her face. "When you say that you're not pregnant, do you mean you had a miscarriage or-"

She shook her head. "No. I was just late. I took one of those tests. There was never any baby."

"You're sure? Because sometimes-"

"My doctor confirmed it this morning. I know it's stupid, but-"

"It's not stupid," Walsh interrupted her. "It's perfectly natural for you to want a family of your own."

"It's not like I was trying or anything. I haven't even been thinking about it, I've been so focused on my job. All I ever wanted to be was a detective, but when I thought I was... All these feelings just came out of nowhere. I really, _really_ wanted to have a baby." She grabbed another napkin to wipe away more tears and blow her nose.

"Hey," he patted her back. "You're so young, Casey. You've still got plenty of time. Just because you're a detective now, doesn't mean you can't be something else later, like a mom. You and Davis haven't been together that long. When it's meant to be, it will be."

She sniffed and nodded. "I know. I do... But right now, it just hurts."

"What does Davis say about all this?" Jason had to ask.

Casey shrugged. "He's away on business. When I thought I was... I was going to tell him when he got back, but I guess I don't have to now."

"That's your choice, but you may want to consider letting him know what happened anyway. Let him be there for you."

"He's not like you," Casey said. "He's not really good with emotions."

"Most guys aren't," he offered.

"Yeah," Casey huffed. She got up and pulled on her coat, and Jason walked her to her car. Before she could get in, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into one last hug before she left.

She sighed into his shoulder. "Thanks, Walsh. For everything."

He carefully brushed away one last tear from her cheek. "I'm always here for you, partner."

She nodded. "I know."

"Think you could pick me up tomorrow for work?"

"Yeah, sure, but you better get a mechanic to look at your vehicle."

Jason shrugged. "It wasn't really broken."

Casey managed a small laugh before getting in her car and driving away.


End file.
